The present invention relates generally to massage implements and, more particularly, to a tool used by a trainer for the therapeutic massaging of soft tissue areas of the human body.
Inflammation of soft tissue areas of the human body may occur as the result of a major trauma, such as surgery, or a repeated micro-trauma, such as overtraining. The body responds by forming fibrous adhesions, or scar tissue, which is an unavoidable by-product of the healing process. The scar tissue forms in soft tissue areas of the human body, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. As scar tissue builds up, it prevents the muscles, tendons, and ligaments from lengthening and contracting, thereby resulting in lost range of motion, pain, and decreased stability. In addition, the build-up of scar tissue generally causes pain in the affected joint and surrounding areas. This pain often causes the sufferer to believe that an injury still exists; however, in most cases, the injury itself has healed. Therefore, it is desirable to remove the scar tissue so that the joint may achieve a greater level of performance.
Scar tissue is removed by a process known as soft tissue therapy, which involves use of the trainer's hand to manually massage the skin over the affected soft tissue areas to release scar tissue adhesions and regain lost resting length in the tissue. This type of massage includes cross-frictional massage, deep muscle massage, and rolfing.
One problem associated with manual massage of soft tissue areas is the difficulty in applying the appropriate amount of manual pressure. In some instances, too much pressure may be exerted by the trainer on some soft tissue areas, thereby causing unnecessary discomfort to the patient. In other instances in which hardened scar tissue has built up on tendons and ligaments near bone surfaces, the trainer may not be able to apply sufficient pressure with his or her hands to provide an effective treatment. In addition, it is frequently difficult for the trainer to manually locate scar tissue with sufficient specificity using his or her hand. Furthermore, it has been found that performing manual massage for an extended period of time may result in hand injuries to the trainer such as tendonitis.